It’s been a wild ride for all of us so far, as March 2020 has us all facing the biggest global disruption since World War II. We’ve all been asked to re-evaluate the ways in which we live, and take stock of what truly matters to us. The travel industry has ground to a halt, bringing down with it entire economies and communities. This month, we began to hear the phrase “non-essential” travel, forcing us to confront the very nature of travel and what it means for each of us, and what place it holds in the larger scheme of things.
It’s a strange time to be celebrating GRID’s sixth anniversary, but in the midst of all this, allow us to thank you for being on this journey with us, and revisit some of our best stories over the years. If the travel industry is to survive and become the lifeline that it always has been for communities and entire countries, we believe that we’ll need imagination and hope. Dreams are essential to rebuilding.
We hope that our stories throughout the past six years will continue to carry you into the future.
A MAN CALLED HORSEFLY, AND OTHER Stories from THE MASBATE RODEO Masbate City, Masbate
You’ll find no flowers or saints at the Masbate Rodeo; just a celebration of the honest life of the Filipino Cowboy. Sonny Thakur breathes in the dust kicked up by the country’s biggest rodeo festival, as he goes in for an up-close look at the incredible Pinoy cowboy subculture. Read the full story.
MAN VS. MACHINE Anilao, Batangas
Our worst driver takes one of the world’s safest cars on a road trip to Batangas. What could go wrong? Fasten your seatbelts and join Nina Unlay on an… eventful drive. (Sorry Volvo! Sorry Mike and Pinky!) Read the full story.
MANILA IN 9,000 STEPS Manila City, Manila
Celine Mallari takes us on a walking tour around the old streets of Manila and shows us the beauty that lies within the country’s neglected capital. Read the full story.
PORTRAITS OF A CHEF Metro Manila, NCR
The life of a chef isn’t easy. Nina Unlay sits down with six of the country’s best ones to learn what gets them up in the morning, and what keeps them up at night. Read the full story.
THE PRICE OF SALT Alburquerque, Bohol
Famous on the internet as “The Dinosaur Egg,” Bohol’s Asin Tibuok now stands on the brink of its own extinction. Chiara de Castro meets with the last of its makers to learn how they keep their traditions alive. Read the full story.
TREASURE ISLAND Flower Island, Taytay, Palawan
Shrouded in mystery and romance, the South Sea pearls of the Philippines are truly a sight to behold. Kristine Fonacier travels to the ends of the archipelago to uncover the real treasure behind Palawan’s South Sea pearl farms. Read the full story.
WHANG-OD LOVES COCO MARTIN Buscalan, Kalinga
Sometimes the best stories are the ones you don’t see coming. Nina Unlay makes the trip up to Buscalan to meet a national treasure, and finds out that things aren’t what they seem. Read the full story.
WATER BREATHERS Sasa, Davao City, Davao del Sur
The world is more water than it is land, and there are people who are getting to know our oceans in the purest, most extreme way. Kristine Fonacier discovers what pro freedivers are learning from the Sama of Davao. Read the full story.
